Brighton is best for music, art and veganism, new survey shows

Brighton has topped the list for the best city for live music in a new survey by Mojo Mortgages.

Spokesman Seb Burchell said: “Every year, lists of the best cities to live in, in the UK are announced, usually taking into account things like average income, house prices, school standards and levels of crime.

“Although these are all important factors, league tables of the best places to live for alternative lifestyle options such as veganism, live music, and local beer are non-existent.

That is until now – as we at Mojo Mortgages have calculated The Alternative Best Places to Live 2019.

“Looking at live music, local beers and spirits, culture (art galleries, museums and theatre), veganism, professional sports, and fitness and yoga, we’ve looked at the number of available points of consumption and cross-referenced these results with population size to statistically create a definitive list of the best cities to live in.

“If you love going to see live music, then Brighton is the best place to live in the UK. It has over 38 live music venues, in addition to weekend long festivals – most notably Pride, that attracted Britney Spears last year! Nottingham follows next, while Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester are all listed in the top 5.

“Move to Newcastle if you’re a wannabe connoisseur of local beers and spirits. With 15 breweries, and of course once home to Newcastle Brown Ale, the Tyne and Wear city comes out on top for the best places to live for local beers and spirits. Bristol, famous for its cider, comes in second places with over 13 breweries. In a notable 3rd and 4th, are Scotland’s biggest cities Edinburgh and Glasgow. Between the two of them they have over 30 distilleries – unsurprisingly, the majority of them make whisky.

“Brighton tops the charts again for the best city to live in for art galleries, museums and theatres. With a total of 79 points of attraction including, over 60 galleries, and the legendary Royal Pavilion, Brighton is undoubtedly the cultural capital of Britain. Belfast is the second best city to live in for consumable culture in the UK, with a fabulous variety of galleries, theatres and museums, such as the iconic and moving Titanic museum.

“Southampton comes in as a surprise winner for the best city to live in for fitness and yoga - overall there are 182 places to exercise in Southampton. Newcastle comes in a predictable second, with Nottingham and Bristol arriving in a 3rd and 4th. In total, there are more than 100 yoga instructors in the Bristol!

“Brighton is the best place to live if you’re a vegan in the UK. It has the most vegan restaurants in the UK (outside of London), as well as some of the best vegan food festivals in the country. In a close second is Newcastle, followed by two vegan favourites: Bristol and Manchester. London doesn’t make its way into the top 10, due to its enormous population – despite having over 100 vegan restaurants in the city.

“Cardiff comes in at number one for the best cities to live in if you’re a sports fan. The welsh capital is famous for its rugby, with it being home to Cardiff Blues and the Principality stadium (where Wales play their home games). In addition, they also have Cardiff City, Glamorgan County Cricket Club, as well as the International Sports Village and the Cardiff International White Water centre. In second and third are the northern football heavyweights, of Newcastle and Manchester.”